The first National Director of the Job Corps program was Dr. S. Stephen Uslan, who was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson and reported directly to Sargent Shriver. The current national director of the Office of Job Corps is Lenita Jacobs-Simmons[3] The Job Corps program is currently authorized under Title I-C of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.[4]

Since its inception in 1964 under the Economic Opportunity Act, Job Corps has served more than 1.9 million young people.[5] Job Corps serves approximately 60,000 youths annually at Job Corps Centers throughout the country.[6]

A person is eligible for Job Corps if he or she meets the following criteria:[7]

Is a legal U.S. resident; lawfully admitted permanent resident alien, refugee, asylee, or parolee, or other immigrant who has been authorized by the U.S. attorney general to work in the United States; or resident of a U.S. territory.

Meets low-income criteria.

Is in need of additional technical training, education, counseling, or related assistance to complete schoolwork or to find and keep a job.

Has signed consent from a parent or guardian if he or she is a minor.

Has a child care plan if he or she is the parent of a dependent child.

Does not exhibit behavioral problems that could keep him, her, or others from experiencing Job Corps’ full benefits.

Does not require any face-to-face court or institutional supervision or court-imposed fines while enrolled in Job Corps.

Applicants to the Job Corps program are identified and screened for eligibility by organizations contracted by the U.S. Department of Labor.[8] Each student in the Job Corps goes through four stages of the program:[9]

Outreach and Admissions (OA): This is the stage at which students visit admissions counselors and gather information, as well as prepare for and leave for their Job Corps Centers.[10] Transportation is provided to and from the centers by Job Corps.

Career Preparation Period (CPP): This stage focuses on the assimilation of the student into the center, academic testing, health screening, and instruction on resume building and job search skills. Students are instructed on computer literacy, employability, and center life. This phase lasts for the first 30 days on center.[11]

Career Development Period (CDP): This period is where the student receives all vocational training, drivers' education, academic instruction, and preparation for life outside of Job Corps, i.e. a repeat of CPP with an actual job search.[12]

Career Transition Readiness (CTR): The period immediately after the student graduates. Career Transition Specialists outside the center assist in the graduate's job search and arrangement of living accommodations, transportation, and family support resources.[13]

The following Career Technical Training programs are offered by Job Corps. However, Job Corps continually adjusts program offerings in response to labor market demand, so the below list may not been fully complete or current.[14]

In Program Year 2012, approximately 75 percent of Job Corps’ graduates were placed. Slightly more than 60 percent joined the workforce or enlisted in the military, while 13.5 percent of Job Corps’ graduates enrolled in education programs.[17] CBS This Morning reported in October 2014 that some Job Corps centers have been accused of falsifying job placements and student training, as well as ignoring violence and drug abuse.[18]

In 1993, the DOJ commissioned an evaluation of the program based on randomized assignment of eligible applicants to the program. Results showed impacts on employment, wages, and crime rates 4 years after enrollment, but modest impacts afterwards. Youths assigned to the control group could enroll in other programs, therefore the results are to be interpreted as the impact on enrolling in Job Corps relative to potential enrollment in other programs. [19][20]